Method of dyeing textile materials



Patented. Apr. 5, l927,

calm stare I nannr B. smrn. or aLBanY, new roan.

METHOD OF DYEING TEXTILE MATERIALS.

No Drawing.

My invention relates to a n'iethod of dyeing textile materials such as cotton.

It is sometimes desirable to produce fabric or cloth in which the dye is applied unevenly, there being); places or spots in'the cloth in which none of the dye appears, the remainder of the cloth being dyed more or 'lessdeeply so that variegated effect or appearance is obtained. In the mostdesin able variegated eifectthe spots of different or random efiects.

color effect appear unevenly distributed or at random. It is one of the objects of my invention to produce a simple, cheap and efficient process to produce such variegated Other objects, features and advantages will appear more fully in the following detailed description and ap pended claims.

l have found it preferable in the practice of my'inventionfor the dyeingof cotton material. to pursue a detailed'procedure substantially as follows, but I do not limit myself thereto as the invention may be varied within the scope of the appended claims A suitable dyeing bath is prepared by add- 7 suitable proportions ofthree welldrnown dyes having the-trade names Naphtamin Grange T. 13., Naphtamm Brown R. B.

' and'fDir-ect Black G. Most of. the general.

classof dyes to which I have referred can, however, be satisfactorlly used in my process.

Other dyes, suchasbasic dyes, may be used,

butnot with-as good resultsaas obtained with the direct or substantive dyes.

The amount of dye employcd in the bat-h should hesuchthat the dye bath while producing; a sufliciently deep color in the rela tively soft or loosely twisted portions of the material will be substantially exhaust-ed bej fore any substantial deposition of the color upon the tightly twisted or hard parts of Application vfiled August 29, 1923. .Serial no. 660,046.

the material can take place. Good practical results are obtained by employing between two to live ounces of a direct or substantive dyestuli for ea h one hundred pounds of the cotton material treated according to the depth or shade desired. It is to be under stood, however, that for obtainingcertain very light or very deep effects a greater .or less amount respectively of the dyestulf' may be employed. Any suitable accelerating assistant, for example common saltror Glaubers salt alone or in conjunction with the common salt, may be employed. I prefer to use common salt (sodium chloride) however because of its high effectiveness as an assistant for a given amount employed. is to the amount of assistant to be employed, this varies within wide limits depending upon the particular assistant employed. J/ hen common salt or sodium chloride is employed as the assistant I prefer to use about twenty pounds of sodium chloride for each one hundred pounds of cotton material treated. A lower amount will give results which are practical but not as satisfactory as this amount. To a certain extent a larger amount of sodium chloride will give better results but is unnecessary for the effective practical carrying on of the process. Suitable amounts of other assistants can be readily ascertained from the amount of sodium chloride specified above.

The temperature of the bath should preferably be sufficiently low not to prematurely fix any of the color and thereby to interfere with the proper application of thecolor to the material.

perature.

' The above ingredients having been added to the bath. the cotton material in a dry state, either inthe form of cloth orskeins, is run into the bath. The material is kept in this batlnpreferably inmotion, for a suitable period, say thirty minutes. The soft or loosely twisted parts of the material, which appear in all such material. during this time take up the color, the assistant acting'on the dye to cause a very rapid deposition of the color'on these parts of the material. "At the end of this time the bath has practicallybe come exhausted of coloring matter and the hard portions of the material havenot ab- It may be atmospheric ten1- sorbed or taken up any substantial or up preciable amount of the color. Of course the cotton material has portions of varying hardness; so that there is a considerable variation in the amount or depth of color at different portions of the material. By the foregoing we have developed the desired variegated or random effect in the material. In other words. some of the spots or places in the material are white (or the original color of the fabric) and other spots or places in the material are colored by the dye to varying depths, the spots or places of different color being positioned at random throughout the material.

The bath, subst'antia-lly free from coloring matter, is now heated slowly. say in onehalf an hour, to a sutlicient temperature. say 150 F. to effect thefastening of the color on the material. This heating should take place after the addition of the assistant; inasmuch as, if the bath is heated before the introduction of the assistant. the color when fixed by the heated bath will be comparatively uniformly distributed on the material and a distinct variegated effect will not be obtained.

In order to make the variegated or random etfect more distinct it may be desirable to bleach the dyed material. lVith such bleaching the portion of the material which has retained its natural color will be brightened or whitened to a material extent while there will be very little ln'ightening or whitening of the dyed portions of the material, the variegated effect being made thus more pronounced. In treating cotton mate rial I prefer to employ during the bleaching operation an agent which in addition to bleaching will remove any motes. .1hives. and/or leaf which are commonly found in such material. To this end I preferably treat the material in an alkaline oxidizing bath. Various agents may be added to the bath to render it alkaline oxidizing. atten tion being directed to the materials set forth in U. S. Patent No. 1.199.745 to Irwin J'. Smith and myself. Of these mater als 1 efer to employ a mixture of approximately equal amounts of peroxide of sodium and a salt of an alkaline metal, such as sodium chloride. This mixture is added to the dye bath and the material thereupon treated in this bath for a suitable length of time. say one-half an hour or longer. After this treatment the material is suitably bleached and the motes, shives and/or leaf softened and removed. The material accordingly cleaner and has a more distinctly YtlllQQh-ltl appearance. It may now be taken from the bath and suitably washer and dried.

By the above described process the desired variegated or random etlect is obtained in the material at a lower cost and with a consumption of less time and labor than has heretofore been required. l urthermore. the. color of the dyed material is more permanent or fast than that produced with the common mechanical methods now used for producing variegated etlects.

Many variations from the spccilic embodiment of the invention described above ma be made. not only as to the ingredients or agents employed but also as to the particular way in which the material to be dyed is subjected to the treatment by the various agents. For example the material may be first treated i a dye bath without the assistant. thereu ion washed to take. otl' any surplus color rom the surface of the material and then treated in a subsequent alkaline oxidizing bath containing a suitable assistant such as common salt. the last-named bath being brought to a suitably high temperature. Also. for example. if desired a small amount of a suitable acid such as acetic acid may be added to develop and brighten the color. Other variations will appear to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention. what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The process of producing a variegated effect in cotton having portions of varying hardness which comprises treating the cotton in a bath to which have been added a cotton dye and an assistant to accelerate the depositioirot the color on the soft parts of the cotton and to substantially exhaust the bath before substantial deposition of the color on the hard parts of the cotton can take place.

2. The process of producing a variegatwl effect in twisted cotton having portions ol" varying hardness which comprises trcatinL' the cotton in a bath to which have been added a cotton dye and an assistant to accelerate the deposition of the color on the soft: parts of the cotton and to substantially exhaust the bath before substantial deposition of the color on the hard parts of the cotton can take place. and thereafter heating the bath to fasten the color on the cotton.

5). The process of producing a variegated etl ect in cotton having portions of varying hardness which coniprises treating the cotton in a cotton dye bath. and cllecting the deposition of the color on the soft parts ol the cotton while substantially avoiding the deposition of color on harder portions o l the cotton and subjecting the cotton to an oxidizing bath to bleach the iltl o and thereby render the variegated ell'ect more distinct.

l. The process of producing a variegated effect in twisted cotton having portions of varying hardness which comprises treating the cotton in a cotton dye bath. and subjecting the dye to the action of an assistant to effect the deposition of the color on the soft parts of the cotton while substantially avoid ing the deposition of color on harder poi= tions of the cotton.

" The process of producing a I hardness which comprises treating the cotton in a cotton dye bath; subjecting the dye to the action of anassistant to effect the'deposition of the'color on the soft parts of the cotton While substantially avoiding the dep osition of color on harder portions of the cotton, and subjectingthecotton to an alkaline oxidizing bath to bleach the sameand thereby render the variegated effect more distinct and to remove motes, shive, and/or leaf from'the cotton. 1 V

7. The process of producing a variegated or random effect incotton cloth which comprises treating the cloth in a bath to which have been'added. a direct or substantive dye and an asistant to accelerate the deposition of the coloron the soft parts of the cloth and to substantially exhaust the bath before substantial deposition of the color on the hard parts of the cloth can take place, and thereafter heating the bath to fasten the color on the cloth.

8. The process of producing a variegated or random effect in textile material which comprises treating the material in a bath to which have been added a dye and an assistant to accelerate the deposition of the color 4.0

on the more absorbent parts of the material and to substantially exhaust the bath before substantialdeposition of the color on the less absorbent parts of the material can take place, and thereafter heating the bath to fasten the color on the material. I

9. The process of producing a variegated effect in textile material which comprises treating'the material in a dyebath', subjecting the dye to the action of an assistant to effect the deposition of the color on the more absorbent parts of the material while substantially avoiding the deposition of color on less absorbent portions of the ma-' terial. I

10. The process of producinga variegated effect in cotton having; portions of varying hardness which comprises treating the same in a bath to which have been added a cot ton, dye to an amount no less than 2 oz. for each 100 lbs. of cotton and an assistantto an amount sufficient to effect the deposition 11. The process of producing a variegated effect in cottoncloth which comprises treatlIlg the same 1n a bath to which have been added a cotton dye to an amount between 2 and 5 oz. for each 100 lbs. of cottonand an assistant to an amountsuflicientto effect the deposition of the color on the soft parts of the cotton and to substantially exhaust the bath before substantial deposition of the color on the hard parts of the material can take place. l

1 The process producing a variegated effect in cotton havlngz portions of w-aiying hardness which comprises treating the same 111 a bath to which have been added a cotton dye to an amount no more than Box. for each 100 lbs. of cotton and'an assistant to an amount sufficient to effect thedeposition of the color on the soft parts of the cotton and to substantially exhaust the bath-before substantial deposition .of the color on the hard partsof the material. can take place.

' 13. The process of producing a variegated effect in cotton having portions ofvarying hardness which comprises treating the same in abath to which have been added a cotton dye and an assistant to an amount no less than lbs. for each lbs. of cotton and suflicient to effect the deposition of the color on the soft parts of the cotton before substantial deposition of the color on the hard parts of the cotton can take place.

14:. The process of producing a variegated eifect'in cotton having portions of varying hardness which comprises treating the same in a bath to which have been added a cotton dye and sodium chloride to an amount no less than 20 lbs, for each 100 lbs. of the cotton.

15. The process of producing a variegated effect in cotton cloth which consistsin treating the cloth in a bath to which have been added a cotton dye and an accelerating assistant to an amount no less than 20 lbs. for each -100'lbs. of cloth, the temperature of the bath being sufficiently low to avoid fas '2 and-5 oz. for each 100 lbs. of cloth and an accelerating assistant to an amount no lessthan 20 lbs. for each 100 lbs. of cloth,

the temperature of the bath being sufficiently low to avoid fastening of the color on the cloth, and thereupon heating the bath to fasten the color on the cloth.

17. The process of producing a variegated effect in cotton cloth which consists in treating the cloth in a bath to which have been added a cotton dye to an amount between 2 and 5 oz. for each 100 lbs. of cloth and sodium chloride to an amount no less than 20 lbs. for each 100 lbs. of cloth, the temperature of the bath being sufiiciently low to avoid fastening of the color on the cloth, and thereupon heating the bath to fasten the color on the cloth.

18. The process of producing a Variegated effect in cotton cloth which consists in treating the cloth in a bath to which have been added a cotton dye to an amount between 2 and 5 oz. for each 100 lbs. of cloth and an accelerating assistant to an amount no less than 20 lbs. for each 100 lbs. of cloth, the temperature of the bath being sufiicient- 1y low to avoid fastening of the color on the cloth, thereupon heating the bath 'to fasten the color on the cloth and subjecting the cloth to an oxidizing bath to bleach the same and thereby render the tariegated effect more distinct.

19. The process of producing a variegated efiect in cotton cloth which consists in treating the cloth in a bath to which have been added a cotton dye to an amount between 2 and 5 oz. foreach 100 lbs. of cloth and an acceleratingassistant to an amount no less than 20 lbs. for each ltlt) lbs. of cloth. the temperature of the bath being sufficiently 1091 to avoid fastening of the color on the cloth. thereupon heating the color on the cloth and subjectingthe cloth to an alkaline oxidizing bath to bleach the same and thereby render the variegated eil'ect more distinct and to remove motes. shives and/or leaf from the cloth.

20. The process of producing a variegated effect in textile material which consists in treating the material in a bath to which have been added a dye to an amount between 2 and 5 oz. for each 100 lbs. of material and sodium chloride to an amount no less than 20 lbs. for each ltltl lbs. of material, the temperature of the bath being sulliciently low to avoid fastening of the color on the,

material, and thereupon heat-in; the bath to fasten the color on the material.

In testimony whereof. I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY B. SMITH.

the bath to fasten 

